You Never Even Knew
by Norbert's Mom
Summary: A small town band from District 12 rides the wave of rising popularity. Friendships are challenged and new relationships are formed as they make their way across the country as part of a musical tour. An Everlark fic inspired by the movie That Thing You Do.


You Never Even Knew

An Everlark Fanfiction inspired by the movie That Thing You Do

Special thanks to titania522 and katnissdoesnotfollowback for being such awesome betas, the-tesseract-wrinkling-time for the wonderful banner, chele20035 for prereading and cheerleading, and Damndonnergirls for fancasting Ken Bek as Darius.

You,  
Doin' that thing you do,  
Breaking my heart into a million pieces,  
Like you always do  
And you,  
Don't mean to be cruel,  
You never even knew about the heartache,  
I've been going through  
Well I try and try to forget you girl,  
But it's just so hard to do,  
Every time you do that thing you do.

Song lyrics from That Thing You Do by The Wonders

Chapter 1: Intro

"Just about done out here, son?"

Peeta stops wiping down the counter and looks up to see his dad entering the bakery lobby from the kitchen door.

"Yep," Peeta motions to the lobby around him. "The floors are swept, the tables and counters cleaned, and the shelves are stocked."

Nodding, Mr. Mellark clasps Peeta on the shoulder. "You did a great job today. Now that you've graduated high school, I think I can stop worrying about this place and leave it in your trusty hands someday."

Peeta looks down to hide the grimace on his face. "Sure thing dad," he says as he rubs the back of his neck. That's what's expected of him, he knows it. Inherit the family business and pass it down to his children someday, just like every other merchant in District 12.

"Great," Mr. Mellark says as he gives Peeta's shoulder an extra squeeze before letting go. "You can do the books tonight. I'm headed home. You've got about 15 more minutes until closing time. Make sure you turn off the lights to the sign when you lock the door."

"Will do, Dad," Peeta says with a small salute while watching his dad walk out the front door to his car. Peeta casually pushes the cloth around the counter, pretending to wipe while surreptitiously watching as his father's car pulls out of the parking space in front of the store and makes the left turn at the corner toward home.

Once he's sure the coast is clear, Peeta reaches up to the radio on the top shelf behind the counter and changes the easy listening music that is always playing in the bakery to the rock and roll station just a few slots down the dial.

A song has just ended when the DJ comes on, "Next up, a classic by the one and only Roger Chaff, but first a word from the sponsor."

Peeta's eyes go wide as he smiles at the mention of his idol. As the DJ spouts the benefits of a Heavensbee Heavenly Mattress, Peeta peeks out the bakery front window, making sure the coast is still clear before bending down to open the backpack he keeps under the counter. He pulls out a set of worn drum sticks and rolls them between his fingers, savoring the way they feel.

When the DJ finishes his spiel, Peeta hears the opening refrain from his favorite Chaff song and taps out the beat on the counter before him. As the song progresses, Peeta dances around the lobby, tapping out the rhythm on every available surface he comes across. He's drumming against the door to the kitchen when he hears the part of the song leading up to the end. Peeta spins around, determined to use the service counter as his drums for the big finale, when he's met by the grey eyes that feature prominently in his dreams.

The drum sticks clatter to the floor as Peeta quickly turns back around and reaches up to silence the radio. Dragging a hand through his hair, he turns back to face his customer. Katniss Everdeen has a smirk on her face that Peeta tries to ignore. "What can I get for you tonight, Katniss?" Peeta asks, hoping she won't mention the performance she just witnessed.

No such luck.

"I didn't know you played the drums, Peeta," Katniss says instead of answering his question.

"It's just a hobby," Peeta mumbles while studying his double-knotted shoelaces.

"You're pretty good," Katniss declares.

Peeta's eyes shoot up to meet hers as he tries to determine if she's making fun of him.

Her blank expression revealing nothing, she asks, "Why weren't you in band in high school?"

"With wrestling and working at the bakery, I really didn't have time for another extracurricular activity, besides, I don't think the band played the type of music I like to play. My parents certainly don't approve."

Katniss chuckles and tugs on her braid. "Who knew, Peeta Mellark, the golden boy was secretly a rebel."

Peeta smiles. "That's me alright," he says as he wipes his hands on his apron. "What can I get for you Katniss?"

"I'm hoping you have 3 cupcakes left. It's Prim's birthday today."

Peeta quickly washes his hands before boxing up her order and asks, "How is Prim doing, anyway?"

Peeta can hear pride in her voice as Katniss explains that Prim is doing well in school and plans to go to college, which is a rare thing. Not many people from District 12 go to college. "She's going to take over the apothecary someday."

As he hands the box to Katniss, he can't stop himself from asking, "What about you, Katniss? What are your plans for the future?"

She's just placed her hands on the box when she looks up to meet his eyes. "I'll worry about that when the time comes." She releases a heavy sigh before continuing, "For now, I'm just going to keep working at the apothecary until Prim is done with her schooling." That smirk is back on her face when she asks, "What about you, Peeta? You gonna be a drummer in a rock and roll band and make your fortune?"

"Honestly, I wish I could become a studio drummer and work with all the greats when they record their albums, but I'll probably just take over the bakery when my dad retires."

Katniss appears to be stunned by Peeta's answer. Their eyes meet and neither seems to be able to look away.

The standoff is broken by the sound of a car horn outside the bakery.

Peeta pulls his hand away from the box that they were both just holding between them and bends down to pick up his drumsticks.

He's surprised that Katniss is still standing at the counter when he rises back up. Startled, he tells her, "Goodnight, and tell Prim I said Happy Birthday."

Katniss smiles, "I will, Peeta, thank you." She hesitates for a moment before continuing, "I hope your dream comes true for you, Peeta." Her eyes go wide as she appears startled by her own words before turning and rushing out the door.

Peeta walks around the counter to lock up behind her. He sees Katniss getting into a car waiting outside. When the car drives off, Peeta leans his head against the glass door and whispers, "You too, Katniss, whatever your dreams may be."

"What can I get for you, Dearie?" the grey haired octogenarian asks Peeta as he peruses his menu while sitting at the counter at Sae's Diner.

After working the busy morning shift at the bakery, Peeta decided to take his lunch at the popular eatery next door. "I'll have the burger and fries, and a Coke please," he orders.

When Sae walks away to place his order with the kitchen, Peeta turns around on his stool and looks across the diner. He sees a group of girls he knew from high school sitting together, giggling and talking to the boys at the next table. A few of the girls wave to Peeta when they see him looking their way. He waves and smiles in return. The boys look up to see what has drawn the girls' attention away from them. One of the boys, Finnick Odair, catches Peeta's eye and waves. He says something to the others at his table before calling Peeta over.

Finnick is originally from District 4 and the resident flirt, his bronze hair and swimmer's physique made him the one all the girls want to be with, but he never seemed to stay with one for very long. Next to Finnick is the class clown, Darius Korsgaard, who is an exchange student from District 2. His bright red hair made him stand out from the start, but it was his wicked sense of humor that made him very popular with the other students. He fit right in with Finnick. Instead of the two becoming competitors for attention, Darius and Finnick became fast friends and a force to be reckoned with, always the center of attention.

As Peeta makes his way over to Finnick, he can see that the third member of the trio at the table is Thom Davis, a local boy with straight black hair and olive skin, the typical look of people who grow up after generations of family living in the Seam neighborhood of District 12. He's quiet and unassuming, especially next to Darius and Finnick, yet quick to lend a helping hand when needed. Thom is everybody's friend.

Katniss sits next to Thom, but she's not paying attention to the flirting going on; she has her head bowed over what looks to be a notebook. Katniss scribbles something in the book with one hand while pulling on the end of her braid with the other. After just a moment, she furiously crosses it out and goes back to talking quietly with Gale Hawthorne, who is sitting on Katniss' other side. Peeta suspects they are dating, since they seem to go everywhere together, but to him, they look like they could be brother and sister, with their grey eyes and black hair, both too good looking for their own good.

"Hey, Peeta," Finnick greets when Peeta reaches their table. "If you're not busy tomorrow night, you should come see our band play in the competition at the Women's College."

As he looks around the table, trying to decide how to answer, he notices that Katniss has looked up to see what he will say. Peeta looks right at her when he says, "Maybe I will. What's the name of your band?"

A small smile plays on Katniss' face, but quickly fades when Gale gruffly declares, "That's what we're supposed to be figuring out," and calls everyone's attention back to the discussion at hand, effectively dismissing Peeta.

He can hear them arguing over the name of their band as he makes his way back to the counter where his lunch is waiting for him.

As he's eating, Sae comes out of the kitchen with a large paper bag and calls Katniss to the counter, "Here's your lunch order, Girl."

Peeta tries to pretend he's not paying attention when Katniss comes up beside him to pick up her order, but he can't help himself from listening in.

"Thanks Sae," she says as she reaches for a brown paper bag. "I've got to get this food over to the apothecary for Mother and Prim." When Sae walks away, Katniss turns to Peeta and says quietly, "I hope you can make it to the show tomorrow night." By the time he looks up to offer her a reply, she's already out the door, swiftly walking toward the apothecary with the bag of food held out in front of her.

Later that afternoon, Peeta is back behind the counter at the bakery, trying to keep busy while waiting for his sister Delly to arrive and take over for the afternoon shift. He sees her across the street waiting for the light at the crosswalk to change, her curly blonde hair bouncing as she bops up and down to the music playing through the headphones that she constantly wears.

Katniss and Gale pass in front of the bakery, blocking his view of his sister, trailed by the rest of the guys from the diner. Peeta's eyes follow Katniss as she walks, talking animatedly, gesturing with her hands as she speaks.

Peeta wonders what it would be like to be close enough to Katniss that she would talk to him like that. She barely shows any emotion whenever she does speak to him.

The shout of, "Look out!" breaks Peeta from his musings as Thom breaks into a run toward the intersection that Delly was waiting to cross just moments before. As Peeta's gaze follows Thom's movements, he sees his sister step into the crosswalk, oblivious to the car barreling toward her.

"Delly!" Peeta shouts, as he rushes around the counter and through the door. By the time he makes it to the corner, he has to push past the members of the band to find his stunned sister lying on top of Thom, who must have pulled her from the intersection, out of harm's way.

Reaching down to help her up, Peeta asks, "Delly, are you OK?

"I'm fine," she says dismissively, while pulling her arm free from Peeta's grasp. She turns back to Thom, who's still lying on the sidewalk, kneeling by his side. She tentatively caresses his cheek and asks, "Are _you_ OK?"

"I think so," he says with a smile as he rises up on his elbows. Looking up at his bandmates, he asks, "Hey guys, can you help me up?"

Darius and Finnick take position on either side of Thom, each one grabbing one of his arms, as Peeta helps Delly to her feet. When Thom tries to put pressure on his right foot, he lets out a yelp, nearly collapsing back down.

"Let's get him inside so he can sit down," says a voice from behind everyone. They all turn to see Mr. Mellark holding the bakery door open.

"I'll get my mother," Katniss says before rushing down the street to the apothecary.

Peeta pulls Delly aside while Darius and Gale carry Thom into the bakery. Delly breaks free from Peeta and rushes in behind them. Peeta walks into the bakery with Finnick to find Delly kneeling down in front of Thom, attempting to remove his shoe.

Katniss and Mrs. Everdeen rush in. "Delly, don't!" Katniss admonishes before her mother steps forward.

"I think what Katniss was trying to say," Mrs. Everdeen says calmly, giving her daughter a quick look over her shoulder before helping Delly back up and leading her to sit down in the chair next to Thom. "Is that the shoe should not be removed until the injury can be properly assessed. Will you let me have a look?"

"OK," Delly says in a whisper, as she reaches for Thom's hand. "Thank you," she says, giving his hand a squeeze. "And I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for," Thom says with a wince as Mrs. Everdeen probes his foot and ankle.

After a few minutes of examination, Mrs. Everdeen stands and declares, "Well, his ankle appears to be broken. We'll need x-rays to be sure, so someone will have to take him to the hospital."

"My car's right out front," Mr. Mellark says from behind the counter. He turns to his son and asks, "Peeta, do you mind staying a little longer while Delly takes Thom to the hospital?"

"Not a problem, Dad," Peeta answers as he steps back behind the counter.

Darius and Gale help Thom out to the car as Delly rushes around to the driver's side. She gets behind the wheel before realizing that she doesn't have the car key. Recognizing how flustered Delly is, Finnick asks if she minds if he drives.

"Please," she says as she jumps out of the car to get the keys from her father before handing them off to Finnick. She then gets in the back seat with Thom and Gale as Darius gets in the front seat next to Finnick.

When they drive away, Peeta looks up to see Mrs. Everdeen walking Katniss back to the apothecary, giving her a lesson on how to properly speak to those who care for the patient. Peeta can tell from the way she rolls her eyes that Katniss isn't really paying attention.

Mr. Mellark heads back into the kitchen to call his wife and Thom's mother to let them know what happened.

Peeta is left out front wondering when Thom started paying attention to his sister.

"Thank you, Mrs. Collins. Have a nice evening," Peeta says to his last customer of the day. He's ready to head home after working a double. Delly never did come back to the bakery after taking Thom to the hospital. After it was determined that Thom did, in fact have a broken ankle, she called and told their father she couldn't possibly come back to work, so in exchange for Peeta working until close for her tonight, she will work a double for him tomorrow. And since tomorrow is a Saturday, Peeta is looking forward to sleeping in, and having the entire day to himself. He doubts that the band will be performing at the show without having Thom on drums.

When Peeta goes to lock up the front door, he notices Katniss talking to Gale and Finnick just outside. She's gesturing toward the inside of the bakery. Gale shakes his head with a sour expression on his face, and a smiling Finnick turns to look inside, waving at Peeta when he sees him by the door. Peeta gives a small wave in return, wondering what they could possibly be talking about.

Peeta opens the door to ask, "Hey guys. If you're here to buy something, please come in. We're about to close."

"Let's go," Katniss say, practically dragging Gale in by the arm past Peeta into the bakery followed closely behind by an amused Finnick.

Peeta walks back around the counter before addressing the group, "So, what can I get for you guys tonight?"

Katniss has her head down, looking at the cupcakes in the display case. Gale has his arms crossed and won't even look at Peeta. It's Finnick who finally responds. As he rests his hands down on the counter, Finnick says, "I'm sure you've heard by now that Thom's ankle is broken."

Peeta nods and Finnick continues, "We need a drummer for the show tomorrow night, and Katniss here says you're pretty good."

Peeta's eyes dart to Katniss, who's watching for his reaction. His mouth opens and closes quickly, not sure what to say.

"It's just one song - an original by Katniss and Gale," Finnick tries to assure him. "There'll be lots of ladies at the show to talk to before and afterward," Finnick adds, wagging his eyebrows.

"Of course, he'll have to audition," Gale mutters. When Katniss elbows him in the ribs, Gale explains, "What? I need to hear him play to make sure we won't be making fools of ourselves with some townie who thinks he can play the drums just because his daddy bought him a drum set when he was a kid."

"Gale!" Katniss admonishes, stomping her foot.

"Hey, It's OK Katniss," Peeta says calmly, giving her a wry smile. "I appreciate your confidence in me, but Gale does have a point, none of you knows if I'm any good, so I'll come to your audition and if you think my playing is sufficient, I'll play for you in the show tomorrow night."

"Great," Finnick says as he stands up straight. "Be at my house at noon tomorrow. Thom's drums are already set up in the garage, so you don't have to worry about equipment.

"I'll be there," Peeta promises. "Now, if you're not here to buy anything, let me show you out so I can close up and get home to bed."

"Hey guys," Peeta greets when he arrives at Finnick's house at noon the next day. Finnick and Katniss look up, both smiling and returning his greeting. Gale nods in his direction and Peeta recognizes it as the best he's going to get from the Seam man who appears to hold a grudge against all merchants, even though Katniss is technically a merchant since she and her mother and sister have been working at her grandparent's apothecary in town for over 6 years now.

"Darius couldn't make it this morning," Finnick explains. "He had something else planned this morning, so Katniss is going to sit in for him while you audition. We're all ready when you are, so if you want to get situated, we'll start playing the song and you can join in when you get the hang of it, OK?"

"Sure thing," Peeta says as he pulls his drum sticks out of his back pocket and sits down at the drums.

Gale calls out the slow beat, "1 – 2 – 3 – 4," and the three of them start playing with Gale on lead vocals and guitar, Finnick singing harmony on rhythm guitar, and Katniss on bass.

It only takes a few bars for Peeta to pick it up. He taps out the simple rhythm on the high hat, adding the snare on the two and four beat and the bass drum on the one and three. He adds in simple fills on the toms and cymbals between verses of the song.

Once he's comfortable with the pattern and changes, Peeta looks around at the other players. He sees that Gale looks very professional while singing and playing to an imaginary audience. Finnick turns around and gives him a quick nod of encouragement, but turns back facing front to sing his part.

Peeta tentatively looks over to Katniss, expecting her to be looking forward, similar to the others, but is pleasantly surprised to find her watching him and nodding her head to the beat. Peeta smiles and Katniss' cheeks turn rosy as she gives him a small smile in return, before abruptly turning back around.

When the song ends, Peeta asks, "So, how'd I do, guys?" Knowing he did well, but not sure what kind of reaction he'll get from the others, especially Gale.

"Good enough, I suppose," Gale replies with a curt nod to Peeta.

"Good enough?" Katniss questions in disbelief. "He did great. Got it on the first try. It took Thom several times through the song to get it." Looking between Finnick and Gale, Katniss exclaims, "I say he's in. Finnick?"

"Sure," Finnick replies, as he puts his guitar away.

"Gale?" Katniss prompts after several moments.

"OK," Gale concedes, "but just for the show tonight. Thom's back in as drummer when his ankle heals."

"Hey, I'm not trying to replace your friend," Peeta explains. "I'm here to help you guys out so we can be the victors of the show tonight."

"That's it," Katniss declares. "Peeta Mellark, you're a genius. We can call the band The Victors."

"Fine, "Gale allows. "The Victors it is. Be at the college at 6:30. The show starts at 7."

"We always ride together," Katniss protests. Turning to Peeta, she adds, "Be back here at 6 tonight, and you can ride with the rest of us."

When they arrive at the college auditorium, Katniss tells the boys to wait while she goes to find out when they are scheduled to go on. She returns a few minutes later and informs them that The Victors will go on last. It's then that Peeta realizes that Katniss isn't a member of the band, but the band's manager as she makes sure all the guys have their gear stowed before ushering them out to the seats to watch the start of the show.

While the other bands perform, Peeta's knee involuntarily bounces up and down as he looks around. He finds Gale sitting several seats away from him writing furiously in a notebook. He spots Finnick and Darius a few rows up and watches in amusement as they flirt with the many girls around them. He's startled when Katniss suddenly plops down in the seat next to him.

"You nervous?" Katniss asks with a smirk on her face.

"A little, I suppose," Peeta replies. "How can you tell?"

Katniss places her hand on Peeta's knee to stop the bouncing as she looks back at him with her eyebrows raised.

"Oh," Peeta flushes as he relishes the feel of Katniss' hand on him. "Sorry."

"I'd expect you to be anxious for your first time performing in front of an audience," Katniss explains. "But don't worry, you'll do great," she says as she pats him on the knee before getting up. "Time to get ready to perform."

Peeta watches Katniss as she walks toward Gale. After she's alerted the other three members of the band, Peeta takes a deep breath and gets up to follow them backstage.

Once everyone is in place, ready to play, Katniss goes from Finnick to Gale and then Darius to make sure their ties are straight and their gear is plugged in properly. She stops in front of Peeta last and whispers, "I know you'll do great, just have fun." She squeezes his bicep before turning and walking quickly off stage.

Peeta's pulse is racing faster and he's not sure if it's nerves or from the effect Katniss has on him, but once the band is announced, he taps out the beat twice as fast as they played it earlier in the day.

Gale turns to tell Peeta to slow down, but Finnick nudges him with his shoulder to turn back around. Once facing front, Gale tries to sing the song at the original slower pace, but Peeta's rhythm is unrelenting and both Finnick and Darius are keeping up with the pace, so Gale gives in and starts singing at the quicker tempo.

The members of the audience, who were previously just milling around and not really paying attention to any of the bands who were on the stage before begin to rush toward the stage. The song that was once a slow ballad is now a lively pop song that has everyone dancing.

Peeta improvises his part, adding fills as inspiration strikes. He's never played in front of an audience before and he finds it exhilarating.

When the song ends, the crowd cheers wildly. Several of the girls in the crowd scream. Gale turns around and begins to yell at Peeta for speeding up the tempo, but he's interrupted by the master of ceremonies who announces The Victors as the winners and presents them with a trophy and a check for one hundred dollars.

Peeta has just stepped out from behind the drums when Katniss rushes onto the stage accompanied by a man who looks vaguely familiar. "Hey guys," Katniss say. "This is Mr. Crane, he runs the pizza place out by the airport. He wants to hire the band to perform for the next few weekends."

Finnick and Darius quickly agree, but Gale laments, "But Thom won't be healed for at least 6 weeks."

"Peeta can play," Katniss disputes as she turns to him. "Right, Peeta?"

Peeta isn't sure what he's getting himself into, but he finds that he can't deny Katniss anything. "Of course," he says and she gives him the biggest smile he's ever seen from her, one that he will cherish until he can make her smile again.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Author's Notes: Special thanks to titania522 and katnissdoesnotfollowback for being such awesome betas, the-tesseract-wrinkling-time for the wonderful banner (you can see it on my tumblr), chele20035 for prereading and cheerleading, and damndonnergirls for fancasting Ken Bek as Darius.**

 **This is my first multi-chapter fic. It should be 5 chapters total. Feedback and reviews will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.**


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